Report: 3,000 Marines may be shifted

by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - Late last year the military buildup on Guam took a major blow as officials in our nation's capitol issued a pause freezing over $200 million in military projects. And just today, news coming out of Japanese media state less than half of the estimated 8,000 U.S. Marines slated to relocate to Guam may be transferred elsewhere.

Japanese media are reporting that it doesn't appear Guam will be getting as many Marines from Okinawa than originally projected by the Department of Defense. According to an article in the Japan Times, the DoD is considering shifting some of the 8,000 Marines stationed in Okinawa to Hawaii and other Pacific areas because Guam, which is geographically close to China, is vulnerable to a catastrophic attack.

"As a matter of fact," said Senator Judi Guthertz, who chairs the Legislative Committee on the Military Buildup, "I think it's a good strategy for the United States armed forces to have a presence in other locations not just on Guam, but other locations because of the threats coming out of China with their increasing military capability and what appears to be China's intention to expand its fear of influence particularly in the Western Pacific."

The news of the potential repositioning of troops isn't necessarily a surprise to island leaders like Guthertz. Guam leaders have long said that the buildup will still happen, but it may not be as big as originally envisioned. As a matter of fact just this past weekend, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo during one of her town hall meetings said don't believe the hype

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are getting the Marines - no matter what you hear we are getting the Marines!" she proclaimed at the time. "It may not be as large a number as we thought, some people think it might be 6,000; a little be a less than the 8,000 planned."

And just today Bordallo issued a statement as a result of the reports in Japan, writing, "The Obama Administration continues to recognize the important role that our region, particularly Guam, will play in maintaining our national security. I believe the Department of Defense continues to dialogue with our partners in the region to better understand the requirements for our military posture in the region. I do appreciate that this Administration takes serious the concerns of Congress and I urge them to address those concerns so we can move forward with the buildup."

In the meantime, we won't know for sure the size and breadth of the buildup until the DoD submits a master plan to Congress - a requirement that must be met in order to lift the pause currently in place for any further funding for the Marines' relocation.